Nagakuni Ikehara
| birthday = February 28 | age = 1000+ | gender = Male | height = 5'9" | weight = 157 lbs | eyes = Crimson Scarlet | hair = Black | blood type = AB- | unusual features = | affiliation = | previous affiliation = | occupation = General within | previous occupation = | team = | previous team = Gotei 13 | partner = Unknown | previous partner = None | base of operations = Rukongai Outskirts | marital status = Single | relatives = Unknown | education = Self-Taught Swordsmanship | status = Active | shikai = Yamata no Orochi | bankai = Not Yet Revealed }} :"In his silent soul, does a snake seethe and slither, eager to consume." - Seireitou-shishō Nagakuni Ikehara (池原 長国, Ikehara Nagakuni) is a male that had once opposed the and challenged the rule of . His vast power and unrivaled swordsmanship struck fear in the hearts of as he slaughtered his way through a great number of them throughout this period of dissension. For what amounted to the equivalent of heinous war crimes, he was sentenced and jailed to the fourth level of . He was stripped of his and chained to a wall; unable to move so much as a finger. But even after restraining him to such a degree, they had not fully understood the depths of Nagakuni's relationship with his sword, the great , for he was still able to engage in the practice of during his imprisonment. His mastery of their communication and the latter's abilities reached a point during his many years of solitary confinement where he could access the sword's tremendous power without even wielding it in his hand nor being able to physically move, eventually leading to his successful escape from the fourth prison level; an event that led to the eradication of the entire guard unit stationed to defend the floor as well as the bloodied corpses of the other prisoners that were left in the wake of Nagakuni's onslaught. He would eventually be reunited with his blade and together with Yamata no Orochi, the two left from and ran off onto ; finally a free spirit once more. As the story of this infamous being goes, revered by many as the "Crimson Snake" (紅蛇, Akaja), a Captain and a special task force was sent after him to apprehend the criminal, but none of the officers ever managed to return. When they were finally discovered by a patrol corps, only their corpses remained with their identities nearly indistinguishable. In particular, the Captain of the unit had no longer been wearing his white haori, as Nagakuni had actually taken the coat as a trophy of his victory over one of the highest commanding officers in all of the Soul Society's military force. What exactly followed is generally unknown by those who remember Nagakuni, with rumors and speculation fueling whatever existence remained of him, but he would eventually return to the world stage as a General under , led by . Appearance Personality History Synopsis Powers & Abilities Zanjutsu Master Reflection of the Blade: A true mark of a swordsmanship master is when they have achieved absence of self, losing themselves in their craft and becoming one with the sword to such a degree that they themselves exist as mere reflections of the blade itself. In Nagakuni, this is visibly shown as a loss of his normally crimson pupils, as his eyes are entirely blank; representing an emptiness of self where he has achieved a total unity with his . When the blade shines in the brilliant glow of spiritual pressure dancing along Nagakuni's body, so too does his blank eyes reflect the same illumination. Those who confront the man believe him to be a blind warrior, unable to see and compensating for his other senses, but the truth is actually far from that thought. So in-tune is he with Yamata no Orochi that his senses are enhanced to the same measure as the great beast itself. If he, as a mortal, were only capable of perceiving things in a single direction — only able to see in front of him, hear an incoming attack from behind him, or feel out the movements of a physical body — as a reflection of his Zanpakutō's power, Nagakuni has a heightened sense that extends to all directions before him. All things would be perceived by him as if they were standing right in front of him, clear as day, even if they were to come at him in a way that mortals would be unable to sense themselves. But for Nagakuni, his senses branch out to the wildest degrees imaginable. Thoughts roaming in one's mind would be perceived by Nagakuni as if he were listening to them spoken directly toward him. There is no self, no "master" and "blade", and for Nagakuni, there is no distance. Zanpakutō Yamata no Orochi (八岐大蛇, "Eight Divergence Great Serpent") Quotes Behind the Scenes